A 1,000 acre site in Katy will be developed into an amenity-rich, master-planned community known as Cane Island, the first master-planned community in the city’s boundaries, which upon completion, will include over 2,000 new homes priced from the $200s to the millions. Named after the 1872 settlement that later became Katy, the Cane Island master-planned community will be accessible from Interstate 10 at the new Cane Island Parkway interchange, scheduled to open in mid-2015. The four-lane, north-south boulevard, less than four miles west of the Grand Parkway, will serve as the entry to Cane Island and the major thoroughfare through the community to Morton Road.

Developed by Rise Communities, Cane Island is minutes from the Energy Corridor, Katy Mills, the La Centerra Shopping Center and Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital. Families in Cane Island will attend schools in the acclaimed Katy Independent School District. “Cane Island offers convenient I-10 access, proximity to major employers, new healthcare and shopping, as well as accessibility to other areas of town by the nearby Grand Parkway,” noted Dan Naef, president of Rise Communities.

Cane Island’s family pool.

Concurrent with the opening of Cane Island Parkway, the development team will complete the community’s first phase with 13 model homes in seven neighborhoods. Both traditional family homes and luxury patio homes will be available in the first phase, and three of the seven neighborhoods will be gated.

Cane Island’s first phase will cover the build-out of a four-acre Amenity Center featuring an outdoor amphitheater shaded by rescued, 75 year-old oak trees. Residents will have unlimited use of a family pool with adjacent splash pad, an adult pool, a fully equipped, two-story fitness center rivaling the finest health spas, a yoga studio and multi-purpose room with commercial kitchen.

Among its many unique touches, the Amenity Center will house a glass-walled, heavily planted conservatory ideal for exhibits, lectures, private events or just a special place to relax and reflect. Residents also will enjoy two spacious tree houses with decks offering elevated views of the amphitheater and a $1 million, mobile projection system.

The fitness center at Cane Island.

The Cane Island Amenity Center will be home to Hub, a trained golden retriever who will meet residents and guests during the day, pose for pictures and even present his business card in his official capacity as Cane Island Ambassador. Periodically, Hub will invite residents with the unique opportunity to spend the night in his exclusive, fully furnished Ambassador Suite with direct access to the tree houses.

The community’s heavily forested, half-mile arrival experience will feature Cane Island’s Living Archways, two impressive tunnels made of evergreens and seasonal colors stretching over Cane Island Parkway. The entry also includes a three-acre lake, a series of water features and occasional views of the scores of elk, buffalo and deer on the adjacent property. Cane Island also will offer a spacious Welcome Center that will incorporate wall-mounted, LED touch screens and other high-tech tools.

Future phases call for the addition of Cane Island Elementary School, part of the Katy Independent School District, and the continuation of an extensive trail system and meandering waterways. Future efforts also will cover the build-out of additional residential neighborhoods, open green spaces, pocket parks and several play areas to pay tribute to the area’s history in railroads, oil and gas, farming and other industries. For more information, visit www.caneisland.com.